


Time Together

by raininshadows



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cooking, Fluff, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24711556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininshadows/pseuds/raininshadows
Summary: After Bernadetta is hurt in a fight with a Demonic Beast, Ferdinand tries to help her.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Time Together

The demonic beast snarled at Ferdinand and Bernadetta. Ferdinand had put himself between Bernadetta and the beast, and it seemed to have worked to draw the beast's attention until now, but one of Bernadetta's arrows had pierced its armor. It took a swipe over Ferdinand's head at her, and from the rending noise he guessed it had connected. 

"Bernadetta, are you all right?" he shouted. 

"I'll be okay," she called, her voice tight with pain. "At least until we take this thing down." 

Her next arrow flew straight through the beast's eye, and it collapsed into a seething mass of dark magic that dissipated on the wind. Ferdinand was already whirling to see Bernadetta. 

She was pale, clutching a set of gashes in her side where its claws had torn through her light armor. "Ferdinand?" she said, her voice shaky. 

"Bernadetta, what is wrong?" he asked, already racing towards her. 

"I feel weird," she whispered. "I think maybe that beast's claws were poisoned." 

She collapsed without another word, and he barely managed to catch her. "Linhardt!" Ferdinand called, searching for where Linhardt had gotten to. "Linhardt, Bernadetta is hurt!" 

Linhardt was at his side what felt like a few moments later. "Put her down," Linhardt instructed briskly. Ferdinand sank to his knees, gently lowering Bernadetta to the ground. 

"She said she thought it was poisoned," Ferdinand volunteered. Linhardt nodded. He pressed his hands over the open wound on Bernadetta's side, which was still bleeding, and they glowed for a moment. When Linhardt pulled his hands away, the wound was mostly closed, merely seeping blood slowly. With a wince, he wiped his hands on the grass. 

"That's as much as I can do right now," he said. "Help me get her over to the convoy." 

Ferdinand slid one arm under Bernadetta's shoulders and another under her knees. She was lighter than he'd expected, and easy to carry. Linhardt picked up her bow and her other equipment, and they began making their way back to the convoy wagon. 

When they arrived, Ferdinand laid Bernadetta down gently. She was still unconscious. Linhardt looked around briefly, then grabbed what looked like Caspar's spare jacket. "Press this against the injury on her side," he instructed Ferdinand. "I'll be back in a bit. Yell if she stops breathing or if her pulse changes." 

The noise of battle seemed to have died down, but as the Black Eagles' only real healer, Linhardt would be in demand for a while yet. Ferdinand nodded and did as Linhardt had instructed. Linhardt headed off towards where the rest of the Eagles were visible through the trees. 

"I know you cannot hear me," Ferdinand told Bernadetta quietly, "but I am sorry that I let you get hurt." 

They stayed like that, the gash clotting under his hands, until the rest of the class returned. Petra was nursing what looked like a sprained wrist, but aside from that and Bernadetta's injury, it looked like the Black Eagles had come out relatively unscathed. 

"You can let go now," Linhardt said, touching where Bernadetta's blood had dried onto Caspar's jacket. "It looks like it's clotted. Professor Manuela will patch her up when we get back to school." 

"Will she be all right?" Ferdinand asked, lifting his hands away. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but Bernadetta still looked so pale, and she hadn't woken up.

"Oh, yes," Linhardt said. "She's probably still out because of the poison. It does that sometimes. But once Professor Manuela can treat her, she'll be fine." 

Ferdinand kept his horse near the convoy wagon on the way back nevertheless, watching Linhardt read a book the teacher had given him and regularly check Bernadetta's pulse. She seemed to be doing well enough — surely Linhardt would ask Dorothea for help otherwise, and she was currently talking to Petra up near the head of the group. 

Finally, they arrived back at the monastery, and Bernadetta was whisked up to the infirmary by Professor Manuela. Professor Byleth appeared at his side as he was stabling his horse. “Come to the classroom once you’re done,” they said quietly. “I want to talk to you.” 

Ferdinand did as he’d been instructed, and found Professor Byleth sitting next to his usual place in the classroom. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset,” they began. “I just want to know what happened to Bernadetta.” Ferdinand recounted what he’d seen and done, and Professor Byleth nodded. “I see. I shouldn’t have left you two alone,” they said. “I’m sorry, Ferdinand. That was a mistake, and I won’t make it again.” 

Ferdinand blinked in surprise. He wasn’t used to teachers apologizing to him, or admitting that they’d made mistakes. “It is quite all right, Professor,” he said. “I understand that Bernadetta is expected to fully recover, and I was barely injured. I should not have thought that the two of us could handle a Demonic Beast alone.”

Professor Byleth seemed about to say something, then paused and shook their head. “All right. Thank you, Ferdinand. You can go visit her, if you’d like. I think she’s awake now that Manuela’s had the chance to work on her a bit.” 

Realizing that their silence meant the conversation was over, Ferdinand stood and headed out of the classroom. The sun had set, and the monastery was quieting down for the night. Manuela was in the infirmary, humming to herself as she examined a book; Bernadetta stared out the window. 

Ferdinand knocked on the doorframe to alert them to his entrance. Manuela simply looked up, but Bernadetta startled so hard it was almost comical. He winced. “Hello, Ferdinand,” Manuela said. “What brings you here?”

Ferdinand smiled brightly. “I was hoping to visit Bernadetta.”

Manuela glanced back at Bernadetta, who nodded slightly. “All right, then,” Manuela said. “Nothing too invigorating. That poison was pretty nasty.” 

Ferdinand nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Professor.” 

He entered the infirmary and sat down by Bernadetta’s bed. She was staring at him, wide-eyed. “If you want me to leave, I will do so at once,” he assured her. “I merely wanted to see that you were all right.” 

Bernadetta nodded. “My side hurts,” she said quietly. “And I’m hungry, and kind of bored. I wish I had my needlework. But other than that, I feel pretty okay. Professor Manuela says I should be ready to go back to class the day after tomorrow.” 

“Oh, of course,” Manuela said from the other side of the room, sounding moderately put out. “You got back just as dinner was finishing. I’m sorry, Bernadetta, I don’t have anything in here. I can go put together something in the kitchen, if you’d like.” 

“There is no need, Professor,” Ferdinand insisted, springing to his feet. “I shall procure dinner for the both of us — have you eaten?” 

Manuela nodded. “I was just heading back to my quarters when I saw your class returning.” 

Ferdinand looked back down at Bernadetta. “If you will give me the key to your room, I can bring you your needlework with the food,” he offered. 

Bernadetta seemed to battle herself briefly before reaching into the pocket of her jacket and passing him a small key, nearly identical to his own room key. “It’s in a little case with a hedgehog embroidered on it,” she said. “Please don’t look at anything else while you’re in there.” 

“Of course not,” he promised, and headed down towards the kitchen. 

While dinner had finished, the kitchens had not yet closed, and Professor Byleth allowed their students free access to their ingredients. He pondered for a moment on what he had seen Bernadetta express enjoyment of in the past. Professor Byleth often asked students to dine with them during the week, and sometimes they asked both Ferdinand and Bernadetta to dinner. They seemed to have an uncanny sense for what meals each student would enjoy. 

Bernadetta had commented that the vegetable stir-fry was her favorite, Ferdinand recalled. He retrieved a head of cabbage, and some chickpeas, tomatoes, and eggs from the ingredient storage, and set to work. 

The stir-fry came out perhaps a bit singed, but hopefully still good. He freely admitted he was not so skilled a cook as the Professor, but to some extent it seemed to be his responsibility to make it up to Bernadetta that his failure had allowed her to be injured. 

Taking food out of the dining hall required some explanation, but fortunately, the head chef was willing to accept that Ferdinand’s class had gotten back late and he had missed dinner. Carrying two covered plates of stir-fry on a tray, he detoured over to Bernadetta’s room to retrieve her needlework. 

While he had wondered on occasion what was inside Bernadetta’s room, with her reluctance to let anyone inside, this wasn’t how he’d hoped to see it. It was, in fact, quite normal. A plush bear rested on a chair by one wall, and as Bernadetta had said, a case embroidered with a rather adorable hedgehog was sitting on her desk. He scooped it up, re-locked the door, and deposited it on the tray next to the plates. 

Since his hands were full, he was unable to knock this time. Instead, Manuela seemed to be waiting for him. “Hello, Ferdinand,” she said, smiling. 

Bernadetta smiled slightly as she saw what he had brought for dinner. “This is my favorite! How did you know?” 

Suddenly feeling awkward, Ferdinand looked down at the tray and its plates. “I remembered what you had said you liked when the Professor invited us to dine with them.” 

She nodded, then reached over to pick up the hedgehog case. Once the tray was out of his hands, Ferdinand handed her the key and a plate as well. 

“Thanks, Ferdinand,” she said softly, smiling slightly wider. 

Behind Ferdinand, Manuela yawned. “Well, it’s getting late,” she said. “I’ll leave you two to your fun.” She winked; Ferdinand couldn’t tell whether it was at him or Bernadetta. He felt himself blushing. “Bernadetta, you know how to contact me if you need. I’ll see you in the morning.” Before either of them could say anything, she swept out of the infirmary. 

“I can leave, if you would prefer that,” Ferdinand offered. After the incident where she’d sprained his wrist, he’d learned his lesson about not pushing her into social situations, and surely having to deal with his presence while she was trying to eat qualified.

“You can stay,” Bernadetta said, staring down at her plate. “I, um. I don’t mind you as much as most people.” 

Ferdinand felt oddly warmed by that. “If you truly would prefer I stay, then I will,” he said, smiling at her. She seemed to smile back, then put a bite of the stir-fry into her mouth. “Is it good?” he asked. “I admit I am not the most skilled at cooking.” 

She swallowed, then told him “It’s fine.” Smiling for real, she added “I didn’t realize you were paying attention when we ate with the professor.”

“I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Ferdinand began, but she shook her head. 

“It’s… kind of nice, really. I didn’t think anyone would be that interested in what I enjoyed.” After a pause, Bernadetta added, “You should eat some. It’s good.” 

He began eating it and discovered that it was indeed better than some of his previous cooking attempts, although he’d singed the cabbage a bit. They kept eating in silence for a little while. Below, Garreg Mach was silent.

They finished eating around the same time, and Ferdinand moved Bernadetta’s plate back onto the tray. “I will take these back down to the kitchen,” he said, standing up. As he was leaving, he turned. “Bernadetta, Professor Manuela said that you would be recovered by the day after tomorrow, correct?”

Bernadetta nodded. “Um, not entirely recovered. But able to go to class.” 

“In that case, shall I bring you the materials from the professor’s lecture tomorrow?” Ferdinand asked. “I am sure they would not mind, but if you would prefer that someone else brought them, I am sure that can also be arranged.” 

“No,” Bernadetta said. “I… I’d like it if you brought them. Thank you, Ferdinand.”

“You are quite welcome,” Ferdinand said. “Good night, Bernadetta.”

“Good night, Ferdinand,” she said quietly.


End file.
